Honestly
by Lara1221
Summary: Andromeda Black has a hard decision to make, and Ted isn't making things easy. He wants too, though. But above that, he wants to be with her. Winner of Round 4 Judges' Picks!


**Disclaimer: **The characters in this story and the world they live in are property of JK Rowling. The cover picture, of hearts, is not mine either. It is also literally the worst cover picture I've come up with, so if anyone has better ideas, I would _really_ appreciate it.

**Thanks to my beta! : **Ever (HP-Forever-XX)

**Happy Birthday to Morgan (ohmoony) !**

**A/N: **Ugh, I LOVE TedAndromeda. They are literally the cutest thing ever. I've written the moment in which the sisters realize Andy is leaving them for Ted, but never how they fell in love. I've been wanting to write something between them forever. I hope you enjoy it! **Written for (skip to the story now):**

**QLFC: rnd 4: Harpies' Seeker: **write a story that begins and ends with the same word, and this word must be a pronoun**; test limits comp: rnd 7: **write a character who goes from dark to light (bonus prompt- mention sharks)**; wand wood comp: hawthorn: **write about a difficult decision**; spells comp: rictumsempra: **write about andromeda tonks**; divergent comp: **This is someone whose eyes claim mine and don't release me**_._****; thinks you can comp: mrs. kangaroo: **write someone who changes their mind**; ffn terms comp: pov: **write a story not from a main character's point of view**; tv show comp: friends: **write about a couple that was 'on a break'**; delirium comp: easy: **lauren oliver quote**; fav artists' songs challenge: joel: **honesty**; relationship bingo challenge: **secret relationship square**; disney character comp: dutchess: **write about andromeda**; **

* * *

_If you search for tenderness  
It isn't hard to find  
You can have the love you need to live  
But if you look for truthfulness  
You might just as well be blind  
It always seems to be so hard to give_

_Honesty is such a lonely word_  
_Everyone is so untrue_  
_Honesty is hardly ever heard_  
_And mostly what I need from you_

Honesty, Billy Joel

* * *

Honestly

His eyes roamed the hallway steadily, searching for one particular witch. This was his one goal today; there was girl only one he wanted to see, and Ted Tonks would be damned if she escaped him this time.

Andromeda Black was due any moment to be shuffling her way out of Potions. It was bloody cold down here all year, but it was late March now and for someone who had been avoiding it as Ted had, the corridor was _freezing_.

The scariest part, though, was that this was, quite frankly, _her_ territory. Ted despised Potions with a passion, and dropped the subject as soon as possible. Also, he hadn't dared try to seek her out in the Dungeons on the way to her dorm before. The crowd of Slytherins that ruled their House (the pureblood supremetist bastards) were like sharks, and they could smell his blood in their water from miles away. That's why she had always come to him.

And this was, precisely, the problem at hand.

Andromeda had been ignoring him for a few weeks now, and he couldn't for the life of him figure out why. Despite his good nature, it was really beginning to piss him off.

Ted fancied her a _lot_. That much he knew. In fact, before she had been avoiding him, the butterflies that he had in his stomach had been growing greater, and his pulse quicker, and his nerves shakier. Whenever they had bounced off each other in the corridor, or spared glances across the Great Hall, or when she tracked him down right after class and dragged him to some wonderful, secluded corner of the Castle where they would snog senseless, he would get this beautiful feeling, knowing that Dromeda wanted him, and loved being with him.

He was trying to avoid the _l_-_word_, though. Not that he was ashamed, or anything, but there was something really, really frightening about the fact that it hadn't taken him a good while to fall, _hard_, and it seemed as soon as he did, she had vanished. That just wasn't fair.

It started in Defence, back in September. One would think they were partners, or something. No, not even close.

She had shot a stray spell and hexed him so far into oblivion he thought he was _dead_. And when he woke in the Hospital Wing, her sparkling dark eyes looked down at him, worry etched across her features, and immediately she was mumbling and apologizing and she had this rather pretty flush to her cheeks, so out of sorts and worried about him.

It had been pretty awesome: the obvious attraction of half the students in his year and the year before, giving a guy like _him_ the time of day. One thing led to the next: studying together, going for walks in secret, coming up with excuses for her friends so they could be together. And eventually, they kissed and it was wonderful and he was in an honest to God relationship and it was _amazing_ with an absolutely incredible girl. But it hadn't been like that for a few weeks.

He also knew that she probably didn't feel the same. Sure, she _fancied_ him well and good, because it's not as if all they did was snog. When Dromeda was with him, she was happy. He could feel it. But that didn't mean she was in _love_.

_And_ Ted didn't know if she would ever be in love enough to leave her family for him. Asking her to leave her family behind for him would be awful, and more so, completely unfair.

That was what was truly terryfing about the _l-word_: Ted had basically surrendered his heart to her, and she could do whatever she wanted with it. Smash it to pieces? Quite possibly. So if this relationship was doomed, all he was asking was that she would tell him outright, before he became so invested that when she eventually chose her family over him, he wasn't crushed then. The sooner, the better.

But _God_, he just wished she felt the same.

_Speaking of smashing hearts_...Ted thought dryly, after spotting Dromeda avidly avoiding his eyes and trying to lose herself in the crowd.

_Ha_. As if he could lose her.

Smirking, he cupped his hands around his mouth and called out, "Black!" The general crowd of Slytherins looked up. Girls on either side of Andromeda started nudging her, poking fun at the girl who's jaw is dropped so wide she might catch flies.

"Who's that, Andy? What are you doing, hanging out with _him_?"

"Oh Salazar, please don't tell me you actually _speak _to it on a daily basis?"

Then, the bastard who hated Ted more than anyone else, Rabastan Lestrange (the feeling is mutual), spoke _at_ her, not to her, while glaring daggers. His voice is controlled and dangerous. "Why is he speaking to you? Watch your words, Andromeda Black, or your parents'll know in a minute." Then, he turned to Ted. "And _you_- what are you doing here? This is our corridor." As Rabastan said this, others in his year gathered behind his shoulders, wands at the ready, and they advanced toward him together.

"Stop!" yelled Andy, moving in front of Rabastan and holding him firmly back by his shoulders. Rabastan promptly shoved her off, back into Ted. On instinct, Ted moved to catch her, holding her close and drawing his wand at Rabastan. Andromeda whipped herself from Ted, ignoring his hurt look and shoving his wand back into him. "Rabastan," she growled dangerously, "you're not the only one with connections. Your parents _love me_. How do you think they would feel if they knew you got suspended over a fight with a petty Mudblood? Because I'll go straight to Dumbledore, I will. I hate him, but I _despise_ you, Rabastan, don't forget that." Then, she turned around and faced Ted, standing strong. "Tonks?" Andy asked, glaring up at him, but Ted can see the way she's flustered, the way he gets to her. It boosts his confidence. "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

Keeping his cool, Ted replied, "You were supposed to help me with Herbology, remember? Sprout called you out on abusing my plants after class, and here we are. _Remember?_" Her eyes are on fire, glaring and sparkling all at once and he grinned victoriously when Andy gave him a curt nod, telling her dormmates that they'd be in the library and ignoring the other Slytherins entirely.

As they're walking away, and the crowd dissipates, towards wherever Andromeda is leading them, Ted whispered, "Miss me?"

Dromeda whispered only, "I hate you."

"I don't think so."

Finally, after what seems like hours of walking but it was only about five minutes and Ted really just wanted attention, they reached a vacant corridor in an abandoned part of the castle. Andromeda slumped against the wall and looked up at him. "I'm sorry about that. You know I don't think that, don't you?"

"Of course," Ted answered, sitting down beside her. He leaned in, wanting to kiss her but not sure if she really wants to be around him at all after the way she's been avoiding him. But she leaned in too, and kissing her again is like tasting water in a droughr. But when they pull apart, she's glaring. "Was all that dramatics really necessary?"

Immediately, Ted went on the defensive. He doesn't want to push her away, but he thinks he's in the right this time. "All that? Yeah, I'd say it was bloody well necessary if you're planning on continuing to ignore me." Her glare disappeared, but he still didn't receive an explanation. She's silent for a bit, then said,

"I wasn't _ignoring _you. I was _thinking_, and I need _time_ for that, so I may have been _avoiding_ you so I could think without you around to cloud my judgement." The comment made Ted ecstatic, and he smiled.

"I cloud your judgement?"

"Very much," she admitted, grinning sheepishly at him.

"Well that's a relief," he confessed, "I was under the impression we were going back to that 'I don't know you exist' thing."

"Of course I knew you existed. I just didn't have any interest in speaking to you at all," she laughed, and Ted pouted.

"Is this pick-on-Ted day?"

"I just told you you cloud my judgement! That's a good thing!" They laughed together, and sat against the wall with their sides touching. It was inescapably quiet.

Finally, he couldn't hold it in. "Dromeda?" Ted heard her sigh. He knew she loved that. "What were you thinking about? Us? Because honestly, I want to talk about us," he admitted.

Ted felt her stiffen and wondered why she had. "Wh- what about us? Y- you want to break up?"

Ted tensed immediately. "No! Of course not! Why would I-" he kissed her, and she relaxed and sighed. "No," he confirmed breathlessly. "I was under the impression you wanted to, the way you were ignoring me."

"That was awful of me, Ted. I didn't mean to make you angry or nervous about us, together. That's my fault. No, I absolutely want to be with you. That's what I was thinking about, actually."

"Yeah? Honestly?"

Tears appeared in her eyes, and she turned into his shoulder so he wouldn't see. Dromeda grabbed his hand, squeezing tightly. "You want 'honestly', Ted? How's this: I'm _honestly_ bloody well in love with you and I have no idea what to do," she said miserably into his shoulder, though Ted barely felt it over the sound of his wildly beating heart. It was ringing in his ears.

"You- you what?"

"I love you," she said, gaze moved to lock with his. "I love you and I'm terrified and that's what I've been thinking about for the past three weeks. How hard I tried not to fall, and how it was all ridiculously hopeless because in the end you made it impossible for me to want to _not_ fall. But I _can't _Ted, don't you get that? I can't be with you. The one thing I've really wanted my whole life, I can't have."

"No, I definitley don't get that." Ted cupped her face in his hands, leaning down to kiss her. He took a deep breath, looking away from her eyes so she wouldn't distract him for a moment. Then- "Dromeda," he took another deep breath in, and closing his eyes. "I love you. I love you and I want to be with you but if you can't, can you just put me out of my misery now?"

"I refuse to break it off, Tonks."

"But that's not fair, Andy! You can't do that to me," he insisted, moving away from her harshly. "You just said you _can't_ be with me. So what? We were going to stay together, while I fall more pathetically in love with you everyday and then you were just going to _leave_?"

Andy broke into sobs, and Ted felt awful. He tentatively put his arms around her, hoping she wouldn't flinch away. She didn't, and buried her face in his shoulder again. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, "that was out of line. I just... don't understand. You've never believed in what they do. You like someone like _me_. Your sisters aren't half the girl you are, and you _hate _your parents. You always tell me how much you want to be like Sirius, completely free. _Please_, Dromeda, tell me why."

Dromeda shook her head against him, and her muffled voice replied, "That doesn't matter. They're my family, my blood. I'm a Slytherin, not a Gryffindor." She looked up at him fully, her voice cleared and miserable. "I'm a _coward. _I believed in what they did, my entire life. Until Hogwarts. Besides my parents, my whole family loves me: my aunts and uncles, Reggie, Cissy, even Bella. And I love them, too. I may not like it, but they share my blood. I don't know what I would do without them, Ted, I really don't.

"And I want to be with you, more than anything. But I'm one of them. Dark, cruel; that's all I know how to be. Haven't I proven that in choosing them? You should go, Ted. I _don't_ deserve you. You're completely right."

"But you're not! How can you not see what they do to you? That _family_ doesn't deserve you. You're the only one with a proper head on their shoulders. You know what's right and wrong. _They _don't. And this?" Ted gestured between him. "This is _right_. Please, Dromeda. _Please_. You're seventeen; they can't tell you what to do. I won't make you leave your family for me, I can't, that would make me the cruel one. I can't ask you to either, and I'm sorry I did."

Ted moved away from her, then, and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked you to leave for me. That's not fair. I want... I want you to know I'm here, and that I love you, if you'll have me. You- you should make that decision yourself. Until then, I'll be exactly what you want me to be- barely there. I'll give you your space, I promise. Just please- try not to prolong my misery for too long?" he looked up at her from staring at the ground, and saw her eyes studying him, emotions passing over them in that thoughtful look she put up when she didn't want him to know what she was thinking.

The silence was killing him. They must've sat there for a not even a minute minute, with his eyes on the ground and hers locked on him, but it felt like forever. And he couldn't take it anymore.

"Dromeda," he said quietly. "I'm going to go now. Please let me know when you _mmgh_," at that instant, Andromeda brought her lips to his in a passionate kiss, not willing to let him go.

When they pulled apart, she wrapped her arms around him.

"Stay," she whispered into his ear. Ted strained to hear it. "I love you, and I want you and need you to stay. I'm a lot like them," he moved to protest, and she held a hand up. "But _not_ when I'm with you, and I need that. Ted, they're nothing compared to how I feel about you. I know that now. Stay."

Ted kissed the top of her head, beaming. And he stayed.

Finally, she wanted him, and he was hers. And then there was the truly mental part that he still couldn't wrap his head around: she was his.

* * *

_I love you. Remember. They cannot take it. _- Lauren Oliver

* * *

I really like how that turned out (a lot longer than I thought though), and feedback is greatly appreciated :D


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